Return
by Angelic Phantomcrow
Summary: It's not a Yokai, it's some kind of spell, but suddenly Natsume was back... And things change. He meets old friends and new friends, but it's not all good spirit as a dusty thing has been awoken. (May crossover at some later points.)


It's not a Yokai, it's some kind of spell, but suddenly Natsume was back at an aunts, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, panic rising in him with the recognition of the place, his memories clear as day resurfacing, he had stayed with the worst kind of humans in this place and he couldn't do that staying with them again until the police came for the man regarding some dubious activities and would discover a half-starved child left behind when they fled.

Tentatively cautiously he creaked the door to the small room open to peek into the dingy hallway. He could hear the man snoring loudly in the living room. He could smell the heavy perfume of his aunt telling him with that smoky flowery scent she went out.

Taking a deep breath he turned around quickly quietly packed the few belongings he had into his school bag before hushing ducked and tense on silent soles toward the front door.

Mumbling from the man as he moved made Natsume wait with baited breath just past the living room. A sigh of relief left him as the man just turns around before sawing the woods again.

He took three more steps when shuffling sound came from the diagonal opposite room stored with boxes. Another fragment of memory came to him, of few pairs of eyes blinking at him from the dusty wardrobe. Curiosity gripped him but then he shook his head.

Would it be decent in a place with people like this?

Then again this was an old house. The man's family had also been quite bustling and successful once or so it floats in the mouth of gossip monger. So maybe it wasn't too twisted.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on the energy behind the door. He didn't want to leave some innocent yõkai in this place if they needed help.

He was in a dark comfortable place but it was lacking vitality. A door opens. Light shines through and on short legs he steps out into the garden. Cawing pulls his attention toward the ground on his right. A white crow is hopping around on one foot. It stares at him then it turns toward the blue sky. It pushes off the ground spreading it wings. Natsume follows it on its journey over mountains, rivers and valleys toward bubbling happy laughter.

His eyes snap open. Natsume enters the storage room.

With slow movements he reaches the cabinet. It rattles.

His right hand reaches forward and he tries to open it. It's stuck.

Taking the grip into both hands he drags his whole body backwards before it even starts to move.

With a hiss the cabinet swings open and Natsume tumbles backwards landing painfully on his back.

His skin as a child is even thinner than when he is a teen.

Tears gather in his eyes but he focused his gaze unto the cabinet.

Dozen of tiny eyes are staring at him from some kind of fuzzy blackness. Weird. Getting up he walks closer peering back.

A particular loud thump interrupts the silence of the moment.

The man probably fell from the coach. He doesn't seem to have woken up, but it startled the things in the cabinet. The black fuzziness moved revealing a bunch of black fuzzies surrounding a white pot. They actually seem very harmless.

Taking a breath he stretches his arm forward, the black fuzz parts in front of him. They allow him to take the white pot. It's smooth and clean looking like it hadn't stood in the cabinet for a very long time as he suspects. It's warm to his touch and by closer inspection the opening was smothered in deteriorating seals.

Yet Natsume couldn't feel malicious intent leaking.

In fact it's the opposite, the entity feels gentle.

The black fuzzy balls gather around him. They seem worried for the bottle or more likely the content.

Natsume wonders who was sealed away. And why.

Groaning comes from the living room.

He cradles the bottle close.

It was time to escape.

Disregarding stealth he hushes to the outer door, throws it open and runs followed by the swarm of fuzzy black balls with eyes trailing him like a tail.

He rounds the building and flees in the direction of the forest.

Quite a distance away at the foot of Mt. Inari a handsome man holding a red tengu mask looked at his bagua mirror with a puzzled expression before his features smoothed out again.

"Fortune has changed. Opportunity was grabbed."

He put the piece of reflective glass into his sleeve, closing his eyes with a gentle smile as wind ruffled through his flowing silver hair in helpful greeting. He looked as if listening intently, the breeze speaking and telling him interesting facts. His eyelids flutter open again, sharp and alert before returning into a more placid gaze.

He hums, takes out from the same sleeve a ha-uchiwa made of gleaming blades of soft gray feathers and changes the direction he was initially taking and took another road.

In seemingly no time he reaches his destination, the Yatsuhara Forest. He'll wait in this place for the returning.

Child will walk its own path and grow in spirit.

He's patient. He'll wait


End file.
